Eco-design Statement

Our approach

Behaven designs its website with digital sobriety in mind. As a certified B Corporation specialising in behaviour change for sustainability, we apply to our own online presence the same principles we advocate for with our clients.

This statement draws on the RGESN (General Reference for Eco-designing Digital Services), published by Arcep, Arcom, ADEME, DINUM, CNIL and Inria. This framework provides concrete criteria for designing digital services that are more environmentally responsible.

Our goal is to reduce the environmental footprint of our website by limiting the computing resources required, optimising content and promoting transparency about our practices.

1. Strategy

Functional sobriety

The behaven.com website is designed to meet the essential needs of our visitors: understanding our expertise, discovering our work and getting in touch. We avoid superfluous features that would weigh down the site without delivering real value.

No tracking, just transparency

We deploy no behavioural analytics tools (no Google Analytics, Matomo, or any other tracker). No tracking cookies are placed on your browser. This decision eliminates network requests to third-party servers and reduces the digital footprint of each visit.

Open and interoperable technologies

Our site is built on standard, open technologies: semantic HTML5, CSS3 and vanilla JavaScript. We use no client-side JavaScript framework (no React, Vue or Angular), which considerably reduces the weight of loaded resources.

2. Specifications

Compatibility

The site is designed to work across a wide range of devices and browsers, including older versions. The responsive design adapts fluidly to smartphones, tablets and desktops, avoiding the need to download device-specific resources.

Accessibility

In line with our accessibility statement, the site targets WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Accessibility also reduces environmental footprint: an accessible website is a well-structured, lightweight and efficient site for all users and assistive technologies.

3. Architecture

Database-free CMS

The site uses Kirby, a flat-file PHP CMS. Unlike traditional CMSs that require a database server (MySQL, PostgreSQL), Kirby stores content directly in text files. This means:

  • No database server to maintain or power
  • Lighter and faster server requests
  • A simplified architecture that consumes fewer resources

Optimised resources

  • A single minified CSS file for the entire site
  • A single minified JavaScript file loaded with defer
  • Cache busting via file timestamps to ensure efficient browser caching

4. User experience and interface

Interface sobriety

  • No auto-playing video: no media content plays without user action
  • No infinite scroll: content is paginated and clearly structured
  • No pop-ups, cookie banners or intrusive modals: the absence of tracking eliminates the need for a consent banner
  • No dark patterns: consistent with our expertise in behavioural science, we do not manipulate user attention

Controlled typography

We use 3 font files in WOFF2 format (the most compressed format available):

  • Figtree Regular (body text)
  • Figtree Medium (bold text)
  • ApfelGrotezk Mittel (headings)

All fonts use font-display: swap for immediate text display without blocking page rendering.

5. Content

Optimised images

  • WebP format by default for all images (configured at CMS level)
  • Responsive images via the <picture> element with srcset: the browser downloads only the image suited to the screen size
  • Lazy loading (loading="lazy") for all images outside the initial viewport
  • Asynchronous decoding (decoding="async") to avoid blocking page rendering
  • Explicit dimensions (width and height) on all images to prevent layout shifts (CLS)
  • Optimised quality at 85%: a good balance between visual quality and file weight

Text content

Text is managed via the CMS in plain text format, without a heavy WYSIWYG editor. Translations are handled natively by Kirby without additional plugins.

6. Frontend

Performance

  • CSS and JavaScript files are minified to reduce their weight
  • JavaScript is loaded with the defer attribute to avoid blocking page rendering
  • Non-critical images are loaded with lazy loading
  • Critical images (above the fold) use fetchpriority="high" for priority loading
  • Browser caching is optimised through static file versioning

Restrained animations

CSS animations are limited to the strict minimum (navigation transitions, link hover effects). The site respects the prefers-reduced-motion preference for users sensitive to animations.

7. Backend

Lightweight architecture

Kirby is a lightweight PHP CMS that does not require:

  • A database server
  • A complex caching system (Redis, Memcached)
  • Background processes (workers, queues)
  • Server-side JavaScript dependencies (Node.js)

Contact form

The contact form uses a honeypot field for spam protection, avoiding the need for a CAPTCHA that would require requests to third-party servers (Google reCAPTCHA).

8. Hosting

Our site is hosted by Combell, a Belgian hosting provider and member of the team.blue group, committed to an ambitious environmental approach:

  • Renewable energy: all of Combell's Belgian data centres have been powered by green energy for years. All European data centres in the team.blue group have also switched to renewable energy.
  • Net zero by 2030: Combell aims for carbon neutrality by 2030, 20 years ahead of the target set by the European Union.
  • Hardware recycling: 100% of obsolete hardware is recycled, and for every recycled device, a tree is planted.
  • Carbon offsetting: Combell invests in sustainable climate projects in collaboration with Ecologi and GoForest (reforestation in Belgium with over 1,000 trees planted).
  • B Corp journey: Combell is investing to meet B Corp certification standards.

Static files (images, CSS, JavaScript) benefit from HTTP cache mechanisms to minimise redundant network transfers.

9. Additional best practices

Native multilingual

The site is available in 2 languages (English, French) managed natively by Kirby. No external translation plugin, no API requests to an automated translation service.

Security without overhead

  • HTTPS for all connections
  • Honeypot protection on forms (no third-party CAPTCHA scripts)
  • No database = no SQL injection risk
  • No cookies = no personal data risk

No dependency on third-party services

The site loads no resources from external CDNs or services:

  • No Google Fonts (fonts hosted locally)
  • No external JavaScript library (jQuery, Bootstrap, etc.)
  • No social media widgets
  • No embedded iframes
  • No analytics service

Each visit only generates requests to our own server.

Areas for improvement

We have identified the following areas for continued improvement:

  • Regularly measure the site's carbon footprint using tools such as Website Carbon Calculator or EcoIndex
  • Implement formal RGESN criteria tracking with a score per category

Contact

For any questions about our eco-design approach, you can contact us:

  • By email: info@behaven.com
  • By post: Behaven SRL, 23 Rue de Tenbosch, 1050 Brussels

Date of this statement

This eco-design statement was created on 13/03/2026. It will be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect improvements made.